


This Charming Man

by euphrasie



Category: Football RPF
Genre: AU, Kink Meme, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 13:56:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphrasie/pseuds/euphrasie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo liked how things were before Gonzalo turned up; he liked it being just the two of them and their dog. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Charming Man

**Title:** This Charming Man  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Leo Messi/Kun Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín  
 **Word Count:** 4019  
 **Warning:** none  
 **Disclaimer:** lies.  
 **Summary:** Leo liked how things were before Gonzalo turned up; he liked it being just the two of them and their dog. AU.  
 **Notes:** really late because I am a late person. For the prompt [here](http://footballkink2.livejournal.com/6924.html?thread=1327884#t1327884) on [](http://footballkink2.livejournal.com/profile)[**footballkink2**](http://footballkink2.livejournal.com/). Title belongs to The Smiths.

 

 

Leo knows something is wrong the very second he walks through the door. He knows because there’s a half-naked man sprawled across their futon and Kun is nowhere to be seen.

“Who are you?” Leo says, suddenly noticing that the apartment is a whole lot more of a mess than when he left for work earlier that night. Beer cans and takeout cartons litter the coffee table and the TV is blasting something relentlessly loud. Still, the man doesn’t say anything, just smiles up at Leo, their dog asleep at his feet.

Only then does Kun come into view, stumbling out from their bedroom, and Leo’s eyes widen because he thinks maybe this situation is a lot worse than he first assumed.

“Leo, you’re back,” Kun says and he’s flashing a sheepish smile that doesn’t make Leo feel any better. He’s doing something with his eyes, like he’s trying to explain the situation, but Leo doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing, and it’s two-thirty in the morning; all he wants to do is sleep, but no one is telling him _anything_.

“Who is he?” Leo asks, and he’d normally try and be polite, but he doesn’t have the energy for kindness at this time of night.

“Gonzalo, but everyone calls me Pipita,” The man - _Gonzalo_ \- says, finally moving from his place on the futon to offer his hand to Leo. Leo takes it, but feels Kun’s hand on the small of his back, coaxing him towards the bedroom.

Leo lets himself be guided, feeling tired and spaced out, he’s all kinds of confused and Kun is now facing him with the same weird look, pushing him to sit down on the bed.

“Why is there a half-naked man in our apartment?” Leo asks, thinking he’d probably be more apprehensive if his entire body wasn’t loaded with lead. “You could’ve told me we were going to have guests. I hate surprises.”

“He’s an old friend.” Kun sits down next to Leo, takes his hand and squeezes lightly. “He needed a place to stay and I said he could crash here for a while.”

“Old friend-- should I be worried about that?” Leo asks, because everyone has a past and Kun definitely has one, which includes anger issues and jail time. Leo’s fine with that, he’s learned to live with it, but he just doesn’t want trouble. Leo _hates_ trouble.

“No, he’s fine, he’s good. You’ll love him, I swear.” Leo thinks this could possibly be bullshit because Kun’s voice has heightened unnaturally, but he’s so sleepy, he doesn’t have it in him to argue at this time of night.

“Alright,” Leo says, falling back against the bed and shifting about until his head finds his pillow, pushing his face into the cool cotton. “Just tell him to put some clothes on.”

 

 

“Why are you here?” Leo asks the next morning, when he’s actually awake and fully realises that he has an ‘old friend’ of Kun’s living in his house.

“I heard Kun had hooked up with some barman from Rosario, thought I’d have to come see,” Gonzalo responds. He’s wearing a shirt now, which Leo is grateful for, though his eyes still bore deep at Leo, flashing with dark humour. Leo never finds anything funny in the morning.

“I know how you met.” Leo’s eyes flick upwards, catching onto Gonzalo’s before he turns away again. “I’m not stupid. I can put two and two together.”

“If you think I’m here to cause trouble you’re wrong. I just came to see an old friend. We helped each other out, you know, _inside_. It’s not a nice place.”

“I don’t suppose it is,” Leo agrees, “and I don’t want him going back there either. So, you know, don’t do anything stupid or I swear...”

A large, lazy smile splits Gonzalo’s face in two, and Leo feels stupid, because he’s not really the sort to throws threats around. He hears the bedroom door open, feels Sergio sit down next to him.

“Your boyfriend just threatened me,” Gonzalo laughs and Leo stiffens, watching as Kun raises his eyebrows in surprise. Leo’s the one used to holding Kun back when he gets riled up, but he feels his own heart racing in annoyance.

“I didn’t threaten, it was just a warning.” Leo sits back, looks at Gonzalo smirking at him, and then at Sergio, who’s looking at them both with an unreadable expression.

“Leo, be nice,” Kun says finally, and Leo wants to protest, because he’s _always_ nice. He just bites his tongue, takes Pablo on a two hour dog walk until his irritation subsides.

 

 

 

“He’s weird and I don’t like him.”

Leo’s had enough, enough of the jokes that he doesn’t get, the mess of his apartment, _everything_. Kun doesn’t mind, but Leo’s suspicious, he can’t help it. It’s only been two days, but he’s not sure he can take much more.

Sergio just rolls his eyes, elbowing Leo in the side. “You’re weird.”

“I don’t like him,” Leo continues on, rolling onto his stomach, looking at Kun’s profile in the dim light.

“You don’t like anyone.” Sergio has no problem with raising his voice, twisting his head away as Leo tries to clasp his hand over his mouth.

“I like you,” Leo says, and he wants to add that he likes Pablo too, but he knows that’s sad, that it’s pathetic, so he bites down on his tongue instead.

“C’mon Leo, it might be good, it might spice things up for us, you know.” Kun is trying to be sly, kissing Leo’s throat, his hand slipping beneath his shirt, but Leo knows what he’s doing- he isn’t stupid.

“I don’t need spicing up,” Leo says, twisting his face away when Kun tries to kiss him on the mouth. “I think we’re doing fine without him.”

“I know you hate change,” Kun is laughing, his breath hot against Leo’s lips, “but change can be a good thing; keeps things fresh.”

“I didn’t realise things were stale.” Leo knows Kun thinks he’s being uptight, but he liked how things were before Gonzalo turned up, he liked it being just the two of them and their dog.

“Leo I can’t just kick him out. You have to look out for your friends. I’m not asking you to sacrifice anything.” Kun finally pulls away from Leo with a heavy sigh, like this is all his fault.

Leo knows he’s not asking, but it doesn’t seem like he has much of a choice either way.

 

 

Leo hates the daytime now. Kun’s out all day and Leo works nights, at an empty bar downtown, so he's stuck with Gonzalo and Pablo during the day.

And Leo wouldn’t mind if Gonzalo wasn’t so fucking annoying. Every word he says sound like he’s mocking Leo. He calls him uptight and boring; ruffles his hair and presses in close whenever he walks past, his breath hot against Leo’s face.

Leo tries taking Pablo on long walks to use up the hours, but after two days the dog starts hiding under the table whenever he sees him hovering with his lead in hand.

Gonzalo tags along everywhere anyway; pushes the shopping trolley when Leo needs to fetch groceries, talks at the top of his voice when Leo goes to the gym; matching his strides on the treadmill.

 

 

“You should chill out more, Leo.” Leo tries to walk faster on his way to work, but Gonzalo just takes larger strides, swinging a heavy arm around his shoulders and pulling him back to a slower pace. Leo tries to breathe like he’s seen Kun do when he’s mad.

“Why are you following me to work?” Leo stops short, decides that maybe now _is_ the time for a heart to heart; there’s no Kun here to elbow him in the ribs, and he’s not sure he can remain silent much longer.

“I wanted a drink and you work in a bar. Common sense, Leo, you should use it sometime,” Gonzalo smiles brightly at him, forces him into walking again, his arm still tight around his shoulders.

 

Gonzalo sits at the furthest corner of the bar, twiddling a beer bottle, running his thumb around the rim, dipping his thumb in slowly when he catches Leo looking. Leo flushes, looks at the clock on the wall and counts down the minutes until his break.

 

“It seems quiet in there tonight,” Gonzalo says, making Leo jolt slightly. He’s walked around the building; found Leo crouched between the dustbins on his break.

“It’s always quiet on a Wednesday.” Leo watches Gonzalo drop down next to him. “It’s always quiet now, really.”

“Do you not like me because of how I met Kun?” Gonzalo is blunt with his questioning, though his smile doesn’t fade and Leo doesn’t like conflict, wants to end his break now and go back inside, he wants to ignore everything about Gonzalo and pretend he doesn’t exist.

“No,” Leo says, looks out, up at the black sky and tries to find something to distract himself from the feeling of Gonzalo’s eyes on the side of his face. “He’s different now. He hardly ever gets into fights. It has to stay that way, because I won’t stay if he does anything stupid; if _you_ get him involved in anything stupid.”

“Hey man. We were in for entirely different things. He busted some guy’s face; I borrowed a car and forgot to give it back.”

Leo laughs, even though he wants to be disgusted. “Did they know you borrowed the car?”

“Not until after I was arrested.” Gonzalo flashes his teeth again, and Leo wants to turn away, ignore him, like he’s so used to doing, but he gives in slightly, smiles back for a few seconds before looking away.

“I was only supposed to be here six months. Then I was going to go back home, to Rosario. Everyone I know thinks I’ve gone mad because the Leo they know doesn’t move in with ex-convicts a month after meeting them.”

Gonzalo raises his eyebrows, smirk curling at the corners of his lips, like he’s happy Leo’s losing it a little bit; letting him in. “He’s changed, he’s like a totally different guy.”

“I know that, but to everyone else he’ll always be the person he was, just like you’ll always be a thief.” Leo shakes his head, glances down at his watch; his break is almost up. “Even if you say you’re not.”

“And what are you?”

“I have no fucking idea anymore,” Leo says and he hears Gonzalo laugh at him, a soft rumble in his chest. It sounds nice, but then remembers that he’s still meant to be mad at Gonzalo; he doesn’t want to bond. “I need to get back to work.”

 

 

The next night they go out on a date – just Leo and Kun - much to Gonzalo’s insistence, like he’s actually trying to be nice. Leo deliberately makes no attempt to understand why he’s being decent; he knows there must be a catch.

Leo’s decided to ignore the conversation he’d had with him the night before, he shouldn’t have let Gonzalo think he wants them to be friends or anything, or that he cares in any way.

“I think you’re being hard on him, he’s not that bad,” Kun says, and Leo sighs because he doesn’t want to talk about Gonzalo, not tonight.

“I’m not being hard on him for no reason; he acts as if I’m a joke. I may not be exciting, but it’s not his house, he should show me some respect.” Leo stabs at his plate with the fork, trying not to let his spirits dampen too much.

“Can we at least have sex tonight? We haven’t since Pipita turned up.” Kun sounds hopeful as he swiftly changes the subject, and Leo’s not going to deny that he’s missed it too, but Gonzalo is sleeping next door, in their apartment with such thin walls. Leo is _not_ risking it.

“He’ll probably hold a glass up against the wall to listen,” Leo snaps back, looks down and sees Kun’s scarred knuckles flex slightly.

“You’re such a fucking prude, seriously,” Kun says and Leo feels bad about that, so he gives Kun a hand-job in the back of the car before they drive home, just to prove him otherwise.

 

 

 

By the time Leo gets up in the morning, Kun has somehow divulged Leo’s hand-job to Gonzalo, and he’s mortified, and if Sergio hadn’t already left for work, he’d happily kill him.

“Sex in public places is illegal you know, just thought I’d warn you.” Gonzalo is smiling slyly, punctuating his words with a wink at Leo’s frozen body.

“Your concern is noted,” Leo says, feeling his face flush red, but finding the ability to move again. He sees the grin on Gonzalo’s face, but frowns when he notices that he’s still shirtless. “Will you ever wear some fucking clothes?”

Gonzalo doesn’t answer, but he does have the decency to pull on a t-shirt, stroking Pablo’s grey fur as Leo busies himself around the tiny apartment.

And Leo likes it better when Gonzalo doesn’t talk, even if the thoughts in his own head seem so loud. Eventually, he sits back down, pressed against the arm of his futon, as far away from his houseguest as possible.

Gonzalo breaks his silent spell, turning to look at Leo, his smirk widening as he starts to talk, “I didn’t think Kun would ever end up with someone so boring.” Gonzalo sounds like he’s trying to be nice, but Leo can’t find the compliment in his words. He folds his arms across his stomach and refuses to look in the direction of Gonzalo.

“Boring never landed me in prison,” Leo replies eventually, trying not to notice how Pablo seems to want to spend all his time curled up near Gonzalo, like he’s the one that’s raised him, walked him, paid for his fucking food.

“I’m not that bad, you know.” Leo turns to look at Gonzalo when he speaks. “If you weren’t so uptight you’d probably like me.”

“I’m not uptight,” Leo says, though he thinks he probably is a little bit. “Even if I was, that’d have nothing to do with how much I like you or not.”

“Huh.” Gonzalo leans over him, deliberately close, and grabs the TV remote, flicking over to something bloody and loud.

Leo counts down the hours until he has to get ready for work.

 

 

Kun tells Leo the bad news later that night. “There’s a course. A weekend trip with my anger management group. I can’t _not_ go.”

Leo thinks he probably could, because Kun’s so much better now, but he doesn’t want to push it. He takes a breath, tries to ignore his own irritation.

“Can’t you take him with you?”

“No.” Leo feels Kun’s hand in his hair and he frowns at him. “It could be good for you as well. I’m not here to get between you and Pipita bonding.”

“I don’t want to bond with him. You can’t just leave me with him.”

“You’re just going to have to fucking put up with it. Walk Pablo when you’re pissed at him,” Kun says, rolling away from Leo and switching the light off. “It’s what I do when I’m mad at you.”

 

 

Leo still kind of hates Kun a little bit when he drops him off at the train station the next morning, but he reluctantly goes back home and is welcomed with the sight of Gonzalo frying something in their kitchen, dressed in nothing but his boxers.

“We’re gonna have so much fun this weekend, Leo,” Gonzalo says when he spots Leo leaning against the doorframe. He seems to find it easy to bypass Leo’s obvious frown. “Surely you’re going to lighten up for me?”

There’s a lot of things running through Leo’s mind, mostly that he wishes Gonzalo would wear some fucking clothes without always having to be asked, and also that whatever he’s frying smells delicious, and Leo really wishes it didn’t because he doesn’t like complimenting people he’s annoyed with.

“What are you cooking?” he feels this is the safest option, but he notices the way Gonzalo’s lip twitches the slightest. He pulls away from the doorjamb and walks over to the kitchenette, sitting down at the small table.

“Breakfast.”

“But why aren’t you wearing any clothes?” Leo says, and Gonzalo just laughs at him, flipping the bacon in the pan.

“It’s hot.”

“Right,” Leo says, looking down at his watch, not sure what to do; what to say. He sees Pablo sleeping against the refrigerator and he thinks about excusing himself to walk the dog, but before he can say anything, Gonzalo is thrusting a plate at him, smiling as wide as ever.

Leo decides not to say anything, swallows the bitter words back down with the food Gonzalo’s just cooked for him.

 

 

Gonzalo goes out to a bar that night, and it’s so strange for Leo to be alone. It’s been a long time now since he’s had more than a few hours to spare in his own house with no one to talk to; to glare at.

He watches TV for a little while but he doesn’t have the attention span for a film, so he just flicks from channel to channel, debates phoning his mother until he’s jolted from the intense channel surfing when Gonzalo bursts through the door just after midnight, clutching his hand and kicking the door shut with his foot.

“Fuck,” he says, “those bastards.” Leo gets to his feet at once, trying to forget the cold feeling of familiarity that smacks him hard in the chest.

“Sit down, I’ll get some ice.” Leo looks down briefly at Gonzalo’s hands, the knuckles shining wetly with blood.

Leo watches Gonzalo drop down at the table, listens to his heavy breathing, and feels better when he seems to relax a little. He comes over with a damp cloth; some ice. He takes Gonzalo’s hand and starts cleaning him up silently.

“Done this before?” Gonzalo asks, hissing when Leo presses too hard on the open wounds of his skin.

“Too many times.” Leo doesn’t know why he’s admitting this, but he thinks maybe Gonzalo should know; needs to understand. “But not in months.”

Gonzalo doesn’t reply, but he flexes his knuckles in discomfort. Leo doesn’t continue for a few seconds, focusing on the raw skin instead.

“I don’t want to know why you were fighting, and Kun isn’t to find out either, he’d be pissed. It’d probably be my fault.”

“Okay,” Gonzalo says softly, slightly slurred. “I don’t think I remember anyway.”

“I don’t understand, I’ll never understand. I don’t get why you did this, why Kun did those things.” Leo doesn’t know too many details, has never asked for more than what Sergio has confessed, and it scares him a little, if he was to be told the whole truth. He thinks it only makes him a little bit ignorant.

He feels silly for saying it, even though he hasn’t really _said_ anything. He’s not naïve, but the way Gonzalo’s bloody hands and Kun’s scars flash through his mind make him feel out of touch; completely out of sync with their lives. He knows his face is burning, but prays Gonzalo’s drunken state doesn’t pick up on it.

“You’ve fixed him up good; never thought I’d see him with a little dog and a little boyfriend and a little apartment. Maybe if I stick around long enough, you’ll fix me up too.” Gonzalo leans in close, until his breath hits Leo in the face, but then he turns away with a laugh.

Leo hates how his head seems to be spinning; how his heart is hammering away for no reason. He presses the ice firm against Gonzalo’s raw skin, feeling a little pleased when he hisses in pain, it calms him down inside. “If you do this again, I’ll take the first bus ride out of this city, I swear to God, and then I’ll leave you to tell Kun.”

Leo stands, happy with his words and his calming heart. He drops the ice on the table, not daring to look down at Gonzalo as he makes his way to his bedroom.

“Goodnight Leo,” Gonzalo slurs one final time, breaking off to laugh at something that Leo doesn’t get.

Leo doesn’t sleep well that night; instead he listens to Gonzalo clatter around his living room, the TV blasting loudly and the refrigerator opening and shutting at various intervals.

 

 

Kun gets home late the next afternoon, looking tired but happy, and he talks rapid-fire about all the crazy people he met; all the crazy fights he saw but didn’t participate in. He shows Leo his new breathing techniques and he fills the hours with so much chatter that Leo doesn’t feel the need to mention the night before.

“Who did he fight?” Kun asks point blank the moment they fall into bed. Gonzalo is stretched out on the futon in the main area with Pablo; the TV on as loud as he likes. Kun stares at Leo, a tiny smile on his lips as Leo debates lying to him.

“I don’t know.” Leo decides on honesty. “He went out alone last night, got drunk and came home. I told him that next time he does it, he has to leave.”

“I thought you said you’d kick him out the first chance you got?” Kun is laughing, and if Leo hadn’t missed him so much these past two days, he’d want to argue his defence. Leo hasn’t changed his mind, he’s sure of it.

“He’s on his final warning.”

“Whatever you say.” Leo knows Kun doesn’t believe him, but Sergio muffles his reply with his dry lips and his wet tongue, and it’s enough; it’s all he wants to focus on.

 

 

There comes a point not long after that night where Leo stops wondering when the day will come when Gonzalo finally moves on. He knows it isn’t happening. Kun loves having him around, and Leo doesn’t mind so much, not when he walks Pablo for them, and starts wearing clothes, and learns to keep his stupid fucking jokes to himself.

Leo doesn’t dislike him anymore, doesn’t like him _much_ either, but he knows that as Gonzalo has stopped laughing at him, he has no reason to snap anything spiteful back. He’s learned to fake pleasantries until it feels normal not to be annoyed anymore.

And he supposes in a way he’s been lonely. He’s only here for Kun; he left all his friends, all his family, back in Rosario, and it was worth it, but he doesn’t appreciate that everyone he used to know now thinks he’s gone mad; that he’s lost himself in some strange city. Leo will never mope; he doesn’t look back, but he never realised how much he hated being so alone. Gonzalo eases it a little.

 

“He’s never going to leave,” Leo whispers quietly, his breath hitting Kun in the face. He takes his hand, linking their fingers together. “He’s going to spend the rest of his life sleeping on our futon. Don’t try to deny it.”

Kun hums softly beneath his breath. “Probably. Does that bother you?”

“He’s okay,” Leo presses his mouth against Sergio’s before rolling onto his back. “He needs to get a job, and he needs to start paying his way.”

“I knew you’d like him; I said so.” Kun’s words sound like he’s won some kind of game over Leo, and he gets a soft elbow in the ribs for the attempted joke.

Leo doesn’t mention the awkwardness he felt that night Kun was out of town; how he felt with Gonzalo drunk and breathing heavy against his skin. He wouldn’t know how to vocalise it, but he knows it’ll come up in the future; he just has to wait it out.

For now though, he breathes in deep, curling his fingers around Kun’s, feeling him squeeze back lightly. He smiles into the darkness, falls asleep to the sound of Kun’s heavy breathing and the muffled TV from next door.


End file.
